Linger and william c



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

L A BROWN BASKET HAMPER.

Patented; Peb. 17,1891.

4 t e e .n S ,w e e h S 4 .um NB Wm MA H Bm AK .s LM

(No Model.)

No. 446,579. Patented Feb. 17,1891.

rains ivrrnn Partnr rricn.

IIEVIS A. BROWN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO ALFRED P. BOH-LINGER AND IVILLIAM O. BAOKOROF SAME PLACE.

BASKET-HAMPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,579, dated February1'7, 1891.

Application iiled April 9, 1890. Serial No. 347,285. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEWIS A. BROWN, aciti- Azen of the United States,residing in the city basket having more than two sides, and I einploy aclothes-basket, a hamper, and a threecornered basket to illustrate it;but I do not desire to be confined to those forms of baskets, as theimprovement can be embodied in other forms, as above stated.

My improvement relates to that class of bas- Y kets which are adapted tobe transported in a knockdown form; and it consists, partly, in theconstruction of the sections of which the basket wall or body iscomposed, partly in the construction of the basket wall or body of anumber of these sections removably secured together, each sectionconsisting of a series of slats secured together by wire ties and havingthe ends of the slats and the ends of the ties secured in bars forming aframe for the slats, as hereinafter described, partly in theconstruction ot the cover, and partly in the construction of the bottom,and removably securing the bottom in all cases, all with the object ofproducing a slat basket that can be readily taken apart and put togetheragain when desired for convenience in handling and packing and to lessenfreight charges, the particulars of all which will appear from thefollowing description of myimprovement and claims therefor and thedrawings mentioned, in which- Figure l is aperspeetive view of theclothesbasket. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clothes-basket withparts detached. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the hamper. Fig. 4E is aperspective view of the hamper with parts detached. Fig. 5 is a detailedperspective view of the hamper, showing the cover open.

Fig. G is a detailed perspective view of the horizontal bars, showingthe manner of securing the vertical slats. Fig. 7 is a detailedperspective view showing the corner-joint. Fig. S is a detailedperspective section through the vertical bar in the line of thebindingwire. Fig. 9 is a horizontal perspective section showing themanner of securing the vertical bars. Figs. 10 and ll are modificationsshowing wire passing through the slats. Fig. l2 is a cross-section of abar in a modification, showing the bar grooved to receive the ends ofthe slats. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a three-cornered basket.Fig. 14 is an elevation in a modification of one side of a basket,showing the slats made horizontal.

Si mlar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views andiigures.

A is a series ot' slats, the slats being of any desired shape, wiredtogether by one or more ties a in any suitable manner.

Figs. S, l0, and 1l show some of the ways in which the slats can bewired together. Fig. S shows the manner of doing so used and shown inthe baskets shown in the drawings, which consists of looping two lengthsof wire, one of which passes on each side of the slats, tightly aroundthe slats by twisting the wire at each edge of the slats in the usualmanner; and Figs. lO and 1l show the wires passing through the slats tobind them together. I do not desire to be coniined to these methods,however, and I prefer lthat shown in Fig. S, and used in the basketshown.

B and B are top and bottom horizontal bars, respectively, havingsuitable openings b to receive the ends of the vertical slats A; butgrooves n, Fig. 12, may be used for that purpose, in which case the endsof the slats not necessarily, but preferably, are to be firmly securedin place therein in a suitable manner. I prefer brads, and I also preferthe use of the openings. iVhere the shapes of the slats used are suchthat suitable openings for their ends cannot be made by machinery in asin- 9 gle strip, I prefer to make the bars B and B of two strips, asshown in Fig. 6, and recess one or both said strips, as the4 shape ofthe slats may require, to receive the ends of the slats; but wheresuitable openings 4can be IOO made ina single strip by machinery Iprefer the use of a single strip.

C are vertical bars, having beveled outer sides Dthe bevel being suchthat when two ot them are brought together in place they form amiter-joint, as shown in Fig. 9. These vertical bars, when the ends ofthe slats are in place in the openings b in the horizontal bars B andB', are secured by their ends to the ends of the horizontal bars B andB' in any suitable manner to hold the vertical slats securely betweenthe horizontal bars, the vcrtical bars being of suitable lengt-h forthat purpose, and the ends of the ties a are secured through, in, or tothe vertical bars in any suitable manner to give firmness to the panelformed by the sla-ts and ties in the frame formed by the horizontal andvertical bars. I prefer, however, to secure the ends of the ties in thevertical bars in the manner shown in Fig. 8, in which the ties passthrough openings c, made through the vertical bars C, into a groove d inthe beveled outer edge of the vertical bars, in which they are clampedby a staple c. The slats may be made horizontal, as shown in A', Fig.14, in` which case the vertical bars C, instead of the horizontal bars Band B', are constructed with openings b to receive the ends of theslats, and the sla-ts are secured therein, in the manner hereinbeforedescribed, for securing them in the horizontal bars when the slats aremade vertical, and thelends of the ties are then secured through, in, orto the horizontal bars B and B', instead of the vertical bars C, in themanner hereinbefore described for securing them through, in, or to thevertical bars when the slats are made vertical; but I prefer making theslats vertical. Y

rlhe series of slats A and ties u, the horizontal bars B and B', withtheir openings b, and the vertical bars C form one section of the wallor body of the basket. In case the slats are horizontal, however, it ismanifest the openings b will be in the vertical bars C, instead of thehorizontal bars B and B', and the openings c, the grooves d, and thestaples e in the horizontal bars B and B', instead of the vertical barsC, andthe whole wall or body is composed of a number of these sections,not less than three, secured together in any suitable manner that willadmit ot their being readily taken apart and put together again; but Iprefer the manner shown in the drawings, Figs. 9, 7, 1,2, 3,4, 13, and14:,inwhich they are secured together by corner-plates E and screws f,and when the height of the basket or additional strength required demandit by screws g at intervals along the bars.

F, Fig. Q, isa plain solid bottom of any suitable material-I preferwood-of such shape that it [its neatly in the space between the lowerhorizontal bars B' when the sections forming the basket-wall are set upand secured in place, and it is secured in place to the lower horizontalbars B' in any suitable manner that will admit of it being readily re-Imoved and replaced; but I prefer screws 7L, as shown in Figs. l, 2, and3. I do not desire to be confined to such a bottom in case-of a hamper,for which I prefer a bottom F', Fig. 4, constructed of slats, ties, andbars in the same manner as described for constructing the sections ofthe basket-wall, except that all the bars are horizontal and secured inplace in the same way as the plain bottom.

G is a cover, having trout and back bars t' and t", the end piecesj andj', and the center piece 7c, and the top Z, consisting of a series ofslats wired together in the same manner as the slats in the sections ofthe basket-wall, the end pieces being recessed to receive the ends otthe slats, and the ends ot' the ties being secured to the front and backbars, as described, for securing them to the vertical bars of thesections of the basket-wall. The strips m are secured over the end andcenter pieces to hold the slats in place. The cover may be secured tothe baskets by hinges H in any suitable manner, and a chain or strapattached to the end pieces of the cover and side of the basket in theusual way to hold the cover in position when opened, as shown in Fig. 5.

The shape of the basket is varied by changing the length and shape ofthe horizontal and vertical bars and the length ot the slats and bychanging the angle of inclination of the vertical bars fromtheperpendicular and of the horizontal bars from their horizontal planes insuch manner as to produce the shape desired, and this may be done bymaking some of the changes mentioned or all of them.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. To form the wall or bodyof a basket, the combination of a number ofsections, each consisting of a series of slats A, one or more IOO ITO

ties a, horizontal bars B and B', having openings b, and vertical barsC, substantially as described.

2. In a knockdown basket, the combination of a VYnumber of sections toform the wall or body of a basket, each consisting of a series of slatsA, one or more'ties a, horizontal bars B and B', having openings orrecesses b, ver tical bars C, the bottom F, and any suitable means forsecuring the sections and bottom together that will permit of theirbeing readily taken apart and put together again.

3. In a knockdown basket, the combination ot a number of sectionssecured together in any suitable manner to form the basket wall or body,each consisting of a series of slats A, one or more ties a, horizontalbars B and B', having openings h, vertical bars C, the angleplates E,screws f, the bottom F, removably secured in place in any suitablemanner, and the cover G, all substantially as described.

4. The combination, for a cover, of the front and back bars z' and c"and the end pieces j and j', the center piece k, a top consisting ot aseries of slats Z, wired together' in any suitable manner, reeessesinthe end pieces j and j', and the strips in, which bind the slats to thecenter piece K, all substantially as described.

5. In a knockdown basket, the combination of a number of sectionseaehconsisting of a series of slats secured together in any suitable mannerby wire ties, a frame consisting of horizontal and vertical bars, theends of the series of slats being secured in any opposite bars and theends of the Wire ties in the remaining bars of each section,substantially as described, and a bottom, all removably secured togetherand all substantially as described.

(i. In a knockdown basket, the combination of a number of sections7 eachsection consisting of a series of slats A, one or more ties a to securethe slats together, horizontal bars B and B', having openings l) toreceive the ends of the slats A, vertical bars C to unite the horizontalbars together to hold the slats in place in the openings l), havingbeveled outer edges or sides D for uniting the several sectionscoinposing the walls of the basket, as required, and having openings cfor the ends of the slats to pass through and grooves d to receive theends of the ties after they have been brought through the openings e,staples c to hold the ends of the ties in place in the grooves (I,angle-plates E, screws f and g to secure the sections removablytogether, the bottom F, and the screws 7L to secure the bottoniremovably in place, all substantially as described.

7. A knoehdown basket consistingy ot' a bottonrand side walls, each sidewall consisting of a series of slats A, one or more ties ato secure theslats together, horizontal bars B and B', and vertical bars C, withsuitable openings in any two opposite bars to receive the ends of theslats, with the horizontal bars secured by their ends to the ends of theVertical bars when the slats are in place in the openings in the twoopposite bars containing such openings, with the ends of the tiessecured through, in, or to the remaining opposite bars to give iirinnessin the frame to the panel formed by the slats and ties, and With thevertical bars having their outer sides or edges D beveled to join, asrequired, the beveled sides or edges of other like side Walls to formthe whole wall orbodyof the basket/the said side walls being securedtogether luy angle-plates of any suitable material passing around thecorners, all substantially as described.

In testilnonywhereof I atx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

` LEWIS A. BROWN. Witnesses:

P. BEARDsLEE, Jr., GEO. J. CHAPMAN.

